Belinda lived a troubled life. A mother who sold her body and used heroin was murdered at the youthful age of twenty-seven, leaving her six-year-old daughter a ward of the state of Louisiana.

After being tossed to and fro from one foster home to the next, Belinda is placed with John and Victoria Brittingham. These people are who any child would be overjoyed to live with and have as parents. A beautiful home, a room of their own, new clothes and toys would be a dream come true. But what lies behind the walls of this house is hardly what little Belinda dreamed of, and she will find out in the worse way, the secrets it harbors.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Belinda’s Song?

Christine Pauls: I wanted to challenge myself to write something that I wouldn’t normally. Belinda came to me, and I didn’t know why in the beginning. There are children in the foster care system who are forgotten, uncared for, unloved and abused. Belinda’s Song symbolizes the downside of the cycle. What looked marvelous on the outside, was hardly what was going on behind the doors of the beautiful home she lived in. The inspiration was to tell her story in its rawness, looking beyond the abuse and to see what she grows up to be.

My character Belinda Morris is completely fictional. It’s how I saw this little girl evolve into a beautiful young woman with blue eyes and tormented secrets. This is not your typical story of a child who loses her mother, goes into foster care, and the story goes.

JP: What sets Belinda’s Song apart from other books in the same genre?

CP: I didn’t want my character’s journey to be typical or predictable. If you look at the 27 reviews, you’ll find that everyone had similar emotions after they read Belinda’s Song. What happens to my character has been written many times over, however, this story focuses on the aftereffects of the trauma.

Belinda has to experience some terrible things. Things no child should have to endure. Once you travel inside the story, you’ll see, where the road turns, and who your focus will surprisingly connect with. The life events that cause my character to travel a road of uncertainty and turmoil is inevitable and the question will be: What end of the spectrum will she come out on? If I have piqued your interest in any way, you’ll read Belinda’s Song.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Belinda’s Song getting out to the public?

CP: I use as many social media avenues as possible, such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. I have a YouTube channel where I read excerpts and talk about my books. Also, word of mouth works well. I’ve also attended a few events, and I’d like to do more of that.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Belinda’s Song?

CP: I’m a little odd when it comes to that. I get an idea. There’s no real set order. The characters bombard me, and the story comes in pieces in my mind. I write it that way. I write long-hand and take lots of notes before I hit the laptop.

For Belinda’s Song, the ending actually came first. I guess it’s not “politically” correct and it takes longer to put it all together, but it works for me.

JP: What’s next for Christine Pauls?

CP: My new release, One Good Thing will be coming out sometime this summer, and I’m going to start working on book number four.